UTEP Track and field: Trio of El Pasoans will run at UTEP invitational

Rudy Gutierrez-El Paso Times UTEP track athletes are clockwise: Jallycia Pearson on the Hepathalon, Monica Lopez in the Triple Jump and Danny Tarango in the 800 Meters.

Area sports fans see the legacy on a regular basis ... the impressive footsteps dropped down year after year from the UTEP track and field program.

Conference champions, All-Americans, national champions and Olympians train year-in, year-out at old Kidd Field. It is a legacy that has been alive for nearly half a century now.

A trio of El Paso athletes saw the challenge, accepted the challenge and now are working to train and run and compete in those footsteps.

Jallycia Pearson from West El Paso and Coronado High, Danny Tarango from Central El Paso and Burges High and Monica Lopez from East El Paso and Del Valle High are forging their way with the Miner track and field program ... chasing dreams and getting better each week.

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All three will compete Saturday in UTEP's elite meet of the year, the UTEP Invitational.

Pearson, a junior, competes in the grueling heptathlon, a seven-event challenge that includes the 100-meter hurdles, the high jump, the shot put, the 200-meters, the long jump, the javelin and a closing 800-meters.

"I'll be doing the shot put, the high jump and the 4x4(00-meters) relay Saturday," Pearson said. "We can't really do the heptathlon every week because it takes at least a week just to recover from one. So I pick different events in each meet to work on.

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"I started doing this when I got to UTEP and my coach felt I had the potential, the strength and endurance to do this," she said. "There are some long training days and a lot of times I'll do two-a-days but I like it ... I really do. I like challenging myself with all these events. For me, technically, the javelin and the high jump are a challenge."

Pearson showed signs of what might be her future at Coronado — winning the 100 hurdles, the 300 hurdles, the long jump and the triple jump and anchoring the second-place mile relay team at the district meet.

Tarango, of course, raced into the city's consciousness by winning the 2012 800-meter state championship. He, too, decided to stay home and chase those lofty UTEP footprints. He is now headed into his sophomore season with the Miners.

"I'll be running the 800 and the 4x4 relay Saturday," Tarango said. "I had a decent indoor season. Close to good. The goal was to make the finals, which I didn't do as a freshman. I made the finals and finished sixth, so I was able to contribute to the team (as the Conference USA champions).

"Indoors is a lot different than outdoors," Tarango said. "I'm more of an outdoor runner. The straights are a lot shorter indoors so it's not much time to pass people ... which is why I don't like indoors. I ran a decent time last week at Texas Tech, 1:52. I'd like to run a good race and a faster time Saturday — maybe 1:51 or even 1:50, which would be a PR."

Tarango's best time is a 1:51.09.

"We only have a few meets — Saturday and Drake Relays and conference," he said. "I'd like to bring my confidence up and my time down. I'd definitely like to get down around 1:50."

Lopez, now a junior, was the 2011 El Paso Times Girls Track and Field MVP and took bronze in the long jump at the state meet that year.

"I'll be doing the triple jump and long jump Saturday," Lopez said. "I got an indoor PR in the triple jump and I've been getting consistent PR's every week in the triple jump. I got into track because I'd always been pretty fast and I thought it might translate.

"I liked staying here at UTEP because of the academics and the athletics," she said with a small smile. "Student before athlete. That's the way it has to be in my house. I'm hoping to jump well Saturday ... maybe 40 feet, 8 inches. That would be an added eight inches to my PR. Eventually, I want to be 41 or 42 feet."

Lopez is majoring in kinesiology with a minor in psychology. Tarango is majoring in criminal justice. And Pearson is majoring in exercise science with plans of going to graduate school in physical therapy.

UTEP coach Mika Laaksonen believes it is important to his international program to get the best local athletes.

"Obviously, we try to get the best local talent so we certainly go after all the Division 1 athletes in town," Laaksonen said. "All three are doing well. Monica is having her best year ever. So is Jallycia. And Danny was good last fall. He slipped back a little indoors but we think he will be strong outdoors."

Three young and gifted athletes saw the UTEP legacy, recognized those lofty footprints and accepted the challenge — staying home to get their education and chase their track and field dreams.